This invention relates to a folded sheet metal shielding shell for receiving an electrical connector for surface mounting on a circuit board, and to an assembly comprising the connector and the shield with a mounting flange.
There is disclosed for U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,156, a metal shield for an electrical connector, constructed from a metal plate that has been folded to form an enclosure having an open seam defined by inwardly projecting end portions of the shield. The seam faces a printed circuit board, when the shield has been assembled to an electrical connector and surface mounted on the board. The seam lies opposite to projecting mating portions of the terminals of the connector. The connector is retained in the shield by means of pawls projecting from said end portions alongside the seam and which engage in an opening in a dielectric housing of the connector. Since the seam faces the circuit board, electro-magnetic induction radiating from said mating portions can leak through the seam directly to the circuit board to interfere with the circuitry thereon. The seam will in any event open out as a result of thermal changes and distortion of the shield when the connector is mated with a mating connector. Folded metal shields for surface mount electrical connectors are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,669 and 4,842,555, these shields having only a rudimentary bottom wall which faces a circuit board when the connector is in use.
The present invention is intended to provide a folded metal shielding shell for a surface mounted electrical connector and a mounting flange for use in mounting the connector and its shield to a panel and for embracing the shield so as to maintain the shield closed under all conditions.